Adventures in Parenting
by Vaerin7
Summary: Sasuke's been turned into a child by a demon and... Kakashi's his real dad?  Oh the humanity!  To make matters worse, he's been kidnapped by the demons that turned him!  Can Kakashi save him?  Can he make up for the time the village elders denied him?


Adventures in Parenting

The area is quiet, luring them into a false sense of security. The group of four shinobi stalks their prey quietly, wondering how long it will be before they reach their intended target. Sasuke's back has been bothering him, but he's kept it to himself, and the others have various pains from wounds. Kakashi takes the lead with Sai, Sakura and Naruto behind him, but Sasuke has fallen behind. It happens too quickly for them to react, one minute they're the hunters… and the next they're the prey. Sasuke is picked off from the back of the group, a demon of immense power holding him close enough to immobilize him and loose enough to not crush him. He's their intended target, a rogue that was turned human by a special seal. The loss of his demonic power wasn't enough to change his ways, so they were sent to exterminate him for the safety of the other humans he's victimized. Kakashi moves forward to retrieve his student, but the ex-demon notes this and holds him tighter.

"One more step, human, and I'll crush him," he yells.

Kakashi moves away hesitantly, seeing the pain lacing Sasuke's features as his bones strain against the strong arms.

"Good, I see I chose well," the redhead grins wickedly. "He's also rather pretty, don't you think? Maybe he'll be my next victim."

"No!" Kakashi shouts.

"Sasuke, hang in there, we'll get you back," Naruto calls.

"Well, well… looks like the little human's weak from a seal," the demon laughs. "Gee, this one looks awfully familiar… but he's too young for it to actually work. One good hit with a demonic jutsu should crack that sucker real good."

"What… are you… talking about?" Sasuke struggles.

"This seal on your lower back… it's the Forbidden Seal of Demons. It can only be preformed by the Demon Lord himself, or it doesn't work properly," the demon rambles. "Allow me to save you from my own fate, little cub."

"What?" Sasuke questions before the heat of a powerful demonic fire tears into his back. "AH!"

Kakashi can feel himself falling apart as he listens to the agonizing screams of his student echoing in his mind, watching over and over again as the demon simply drops him from the tree he's standing in and takes off. Sasuke vanishes into the foliage below them, none of them able to see where it is he fell. They search the ground frantically, but all they find is his shirt.

"Looking for this?" a deep voice rich with black silk wonders.

They turn quickly to see Itachi holding a bundle against his chest, a bundle with raven hair and large obsidian eyes. Kakashi's breathe catches, his visible eye wide in shock as he looks upon the small infant in Itachi's grasp.

"I believe he preformed the release jutsu incorrectly," the monotonous Uchiha remarks. "I have no need for this… child. Perhaps you will have better use of him."

Kakashi cautiously takes the giggling baby away from Itachi, holding him close and wrapping him in the discarded shirt.

"Aren't we supposed to be catching that nine-tail runt?" Kisame remarks.

"No. Our mission was to locate him, so all we have to do is report to Madara his whereabouts," Itachi drawls. "Besides, I have no interest in fighting a handicapped team."

"Who are you calling handicapped, jerk!" Naruto shouts ready to fight.

"No, Naruto," Kakashi shouts. "He's right, we're in no condition to be fighting with a child. We have to fall back to Konoha… hopefully Tsunade will be able to help find a cure of some kind."

Tsunade is asleep in her office when they reach her, snoring away and drooling on her paperwork. Naruto slams the door shut, startling her awake and holding back a laugh at the paperwork sticking to her face. She tries to compose herself, quickly batting the papers off and glaring at the giggling teen. Before she can say anything, she notes that Sasuke isn't with them, Kakashi looks awfully worried, and there's a baby in his arms.

"Okay, what happened?" Tsunade frowns. "There's _always_ something with you guys, so what happened this time?"

"We had a… complication," Kakashi sighs. "A… _small_… complication."

"How small?"

"About… this small," he answers holding out the baby that giggles happily.

"…"

"Yeah, I know," Naruto grins stupidly. "He's way too cute to be that teme, right?"

"Shut up, Naruto, this isn't funny," Sakura shouts. "Poor Sasuke's been turned into a baby."

"He was already a baby, he just didn't look the age he acted," the blonde snickers.

"Why you..!"

She starts to pound Naruto into the ground, but this violent act attracts Sasuke's attention. His lower lip quivers and he starts to cry, unhappy with the two shinobi fighting. Kakashi is startled by Sasuke's powerful lungs, almost dropping him and would have if Tsunade hadn't grabbed him up first. She pushes him back into Kakashi's arms, covering her ears.

"Shut that brat up," she shouts over Sasuke's crying.

"I don't know how," Kakashi frowns.

"Well, you'd better learn. He's _your_ problem now."

"What? You can't leave him in my care, I don't have any experience in parenting," the Jounin states in shock.

"He's _your_ student, _you_ deal with him."

"But…"

"Don't make me unseal his birth certificate!"

"… All right, all right, I'll take care of him."

"Don't let anything happen to him, Kakashi, and don't you dare push him off on someone else," Tsunade warns. "To make certain you don't neglect the little Uchiha brat, I want you to stay with Iruka until I find a way to bring him back."

"Right away, Tsunade!" Kakashi chirps happily.

Sasuke giggles happily, a cold blast of air covering them and freezing the office. Tsunade glares at Kakashi in anger, breaking open her desk and slamming a paper onto its top. Kakashi hangs his head, reaching out to unseal the birth certificate and take his place as Sasuke's rightful father. With a blast of cold air, similar to the one baby Sasuke used to freeze Tsunade's office, Kakashi is standing in his demonic form… a snow leopard, the royal bloodline in demon culture.

"I always _knew_ there was something strange about you," Sakura muses triumphantly.

"All right, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cheers. "You're a demon lord descendant!"

"Don't be ridiculous, dickless!" Sai states.

"Yeah… I'm the _current_ Demon Lord," Kakashi grins.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"What?" Kakashi asks his gawking students.

"… They left _you_ in charge of an _entire species_?" Sakura questions quietly.

"Yes."

"… And you haven't messed it up yet?" Naruto frowns disbelievingly.

"Shockingly, yes," Kakashi remarks blandly.

"So… now you can add father onto your list of dangerous missions," Tsunade grins in mischievous amusement.

"You'd better find a cure soon," he frowns.

"And you might as well lose the mask and hitai-ate," she orders. "Now that you look like a demon again, you don't have to make the others feel comfortable… especially when they already know who you are."

Sasuke laughs cutely, playing with his own spotted tail as he lies in Kakashi's arms. Kakashi sighs as he carries him home, followed closely by his three students. He's tired and they've been asking him questions since they found out who he was, but Sasuke is oblivious to all of this as he entertains himself.

"So… you and my mother don't really get along, do you?" Naruto asks.

"We get along fine, but she doesn't like the idea of taking orders from someone younger than her," Kakashi states. "Although, I'm not one for giving orders… and no one's older than your mother."

"She heard that."

"Good. She'll know how much I respect her age old wisdom and experience," Kakashi amends quickly with his silver tongue.

"She thanks you… and says to stop sucking up."

Sakura and Sai snicker at Kakashi's surprised features, as he's taken off his mask and pushed up his hitai-ate… his sharingan is hiding beneath the icy coal of his demonic eye color. His tail twitches lazily, finally happy to reach Iruka's house. The teacher opens his door on the first knock, staring in shock at the entourage that stands before him.

"Yo, Iruka," Kakashi grins showing a bit of fang. "I have a little problem that Tsunade's ordered you to help me with."

"It's not mating season again, is it?" Iruka whines.

"No… Unless you'll help me, then yes."

"Kakashi," Iruka warns.

"Okay, okay… it's not mating season," the silver haired Jounin sighs. "But… well… Sasuke's sort of…"

For lack of better words, he holds out the cooing baby that appears Sasuke's twin. Iruka stares for a few moments, blinking in disbelief, and then tries to find the words to question this strange occurrence. Kakashi gets the gist and decides to speed things up a bit.

"You see… the rogue demon we were tracking recognized Sasuke's seal and tried to release it… but performed the jutsu wrong and turned him into a baby," Kakashi laughs rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "It was an _entirely_ unforeseeable accident… especially when Sasuke turned Tsunade's office into a freezer and forced her to unseal the documents keeping me in human form while in Konoha."

"I see… and I'm supposed to care for him?"

"Actually, I am… but she thought it best if you were around to make certain I was doing it right. I'm not exactly practiced in caring for children."

"No duh," Naruto grumbles. "You suck at it."

"Naruto! He's not that bad," Sakura growls.

"Not that bad? Where have you been these past few years?" the blonde shouts. "When I was twelve and we had that mission to clear that garden full of poisonous snakes? I got bit like three times and all he said was 'Walk it off, Naruto'. Then when I was thirteen and training with Sai and him, but fell off the cliff and into those rapids? He sat there and watched until Kyuubi took over and pulled me out herself. When I was fourteen and on that mission I went into heat on, he locked me in a broom closet for a week… Then _forgot_ about me! When I turned fifteen, his idea of a birthday present was to pitch in with Jaraiya and get me the whole set of Icha Icha Paradise books. Then, just yesterday, he…"

"We get the picture!" Kakashi shouts. "I'm not a good parent, I'm a terrible father, I knew that and I told Tsunade that… she seems to think it will do me some good to ruin my only child."

"I'm certain you won't ruin him, Kakashi," Iruka smiles kindly. "So you haven't had any luck with Naruto, but he's not exactly yours and you were cheated out of your own child a long time ago. Perhaps getting the chance to care for Sasuke in his youth will make up for it somehow."

"… Thanks, Iruka," Kakashi says quietly.

"But if I ever hear of you giving something so perverted to Naruto for his birthday again… I'll castrate you. Understand?" Iruka smiles dangerously.

"… Perfectly."

"Let's get Sasuke inside, we don't want him catching a cold," Iruka sighs happily. "This is going to be so much fun; I've always wanted a child."

"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto murmurs quietly. "Iruka, being a mother hen and all, probably won't let you do anything but watch."

"One can only hope," he remarks.

"Naruto, here's some money and a list of things the baby will need until Tsunade can find a cure," Iruka remarks walking back out. "Please go and get them with the rest of your team."

Naruto was half right; Iruka was certainly a mother hen. He, however, only told Kakashi the correct way to do things so he could keep Sasuke as comfortable as possible. He fed Sasuke a bottle before bed, gave him a bath… which he did _not_ like… and eventually curled up next to him to sleep. He made a makeshift nest out of blankets for the raven haired snow leopard and set it on the floor next to his bed, keeping a hand on Sasuke's stomach as he slept to assure himself that he was still there. He didn't know why, but for some reason he finds himself extremely overprotective of Sasuke now that he has him back. He wakes in the middle of the night to Sasuke's fussy whimpering, looking down to see his face twisting to cry. Immediately, he has the little cub in his arms as he rocks him gently. Iruka is in the guest room in seconds to see what's wrong, almost laughing at Kakashi's near panic stricken face.

"What happened?" he asks to cover his chuckle.

"I don't know, I was sleeping and all of a sudden he started to cry!"

"Calm down, Kakashi, you act as though you're in an S-ranked mission gone wrong," Iruka laughs lightheartedly. "He probably just needs his diaper changed."

"… You're kidding, right?" Kakashi states flatly. "I'm an _ex-Anbu shinobi_, I do _not_ change diapers."

"Well, _now_ you're a parent and you most certainly _will_," Iruka frowns. "Now, come with me and I'll teach you how."

Kakashi bites his tongue and carries Sasuke into the other room with Iruka, knowing this is something he most definitely doesn't want to learn. It doesn't take long and Iruka finally gets Kakashi to stay in the room to watch, eventually getting him to participate and finally change it without problems. Sasuke is happy again, smiling up at his dad as best he can. He yawns owlishly, falling back asleep with the secure feeling of being in his father's embrace.

The next morning, Tsunade calls for Kakashi and his hopes soar. He takes Sasuke with him, holding the child closely until he reaches her office… which is now thawed and almost dry.

"I think I've found the combination of signs to fix this mess," Tsunade grins.

"And if it doesn't… what will that do to Sasuke?" Kakashi questions.

"Not much… Nothing, really. It either works or he'll stay the way he is," she shrugs.

"… Okay."

She performs the seals and casts the jutsu on the infant that now sits in her chair, waiting for the smoke from the jutsu to clear to see her work. A little three-year-old stares up at her with large questioning eyes, his head tilted to one side cutely before he starts to cry. Kakashi has Sasuke in seconds, rocking him in attempt to hush him and only succeeding in making him fall asleep.

"What happened?" Kakashi snaps. "You said he wouldn't do anything if it didn't cure him."

"Well… I suppose this is a bit more complicated than I intended," Tsunade sighs. "I'll have to travel to Shadow and talk this over with your grandfather."

"But… this could take forever!" he shouts. "I can't take care of a child for that long!"

"He has to grow up some time."

"Daddy?" Sasuke says quietly. "I'm cold."

"Well, of course you are," Kakashi remarks. "You grew out of your brand new clothes in only a few hours."

"… I'm sorry," Sasuke whispers with a pout.

"… Oh! No, it wasn't your fault," Kakashi says quickly. "You're a good boy, Sasuke. You're daddy's good little cub."

Sasuke brightens rapidly, his pout turning into a grin that shows his tiny fangs. Kakashi thanks every god he can think of that Sasuke isn't as difficult now then as an infant… at least, he hopes. His first priority is to get Sasuke new clothes and maybe a stuffed animal or two. He finds it easier to care for his cub when he's capable of doing things on his own… but he still liked him better as an infant.

Kakashi, unable to get a babysitter for Sasuke because of Tsunade's orders, is forced to take Sasuke on a mission to Sand. He walks behind Kakashi with Sai and Sakura on either side of him and Naruto walking behind. Sasuke is chattering away, his hand holding tightly to the bottom of Kakashi's shirt and his free arm wrapped tightly around his stuffed snow leopard.

"Daddy said we can play in the sand box when we get there," he chirps. "Daddy says he knows the sandman and I can meet him. Daddy says the sandman looks mean but he's really nice. Daddy says…"

"Your daddy says an awful lot, doesn't he, tem… I mean… pipsqueak?" Naruto mutters.

"I'm not a pipsqueak, stupid!" Sasuke shouts.

"Don't call me stupid, daddy's boy!"

"Stop making fun of me, dumb fox!"

"How immature, Naruto," Sakura scoffs.

"Yeah, dickless, losing to a toddler… it's so like you," Sai snickers.

"Shut up, Sai!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Kakashi grins. "Let's cool our tempers, guys. Sasuke, what did mommy Iruka tell you about tempers?"

"Mommy Iruka?" Naruto mutters in question.

The other two shrug, equally confused.

"… That they're not good," Sasuke pouts. "And you should treat others the way you want to be treated."

"That's right. Now, is this the way you want people to treat you?"

"No, daddy."

"Now, if you're not good… I won't let you meet the sandman."

"And by sandman… you mean Gaara, right?" Naruto smirks.

"… Yes."

"I'll be good! I promise!" Sasuke says. "I want to meet the sandman."

It isn't long before they're in a fight, a few rogues looking for the scroll they have to deliver to Gaara. Sakura stays close to Sasuke and Sai draws a few tigers to protect him, but the little cub hardly seems as scared as he should be. He wanders off and gets caught by one of the shinobi, laughing playfully as they hold him by the scruff of his neck.

"Let him go!" Kakashi shouts.

"Give us the scroll," they counter.

"… Okay," Kakashi relents. "Just… let him go."

"We'll toss them at the same time," the taller shinobi states. "On three… ready? One, two… three!"

Kakashi tosses the scroll and the man holding Sasuke makes to toss him as well… but keeps a firm grip. The scroll is caught by the other shinobi before Naruto or Sai can grab it, and then the rogues are gone with the cub in tow. Kakashi falls to his knees, broken and completely lost.

"No," he whispers. "My cub. I finally get him back and I've lost him again, I _told_ Tsunade this would happen!"

"Its okay, Kakashi-sensei, we'll find him," Sakura soothes. "After all, we have Naruto and who else is a better tracker than a fox?"

"Hey guys, what's up?" Temari questions from behind them. "I didn't know you were coming to Sand."

"Not now, Temari," Sakura whispers. "Sasuke was just taken by the enemy."

"Oh, you mean those rogue shinobi?" Temari questions. "Gaara figured they'd get the scroll using some underhanded tactic… plus, they've been victimizing some of the village boys."

"What!" Kakashi shouts.

"Don't worry, Gaara isn't far from here. He'll have Sasuke before they can touch him. After all, Sasuke isn't a slouch when it comes to protecting himself and giving others a hard time," Temari grins.

Kakashi breaks down in tears, shocking his team and Temari.

"I'm gonna lose my little boy!"

"Kakashi-sensei, calm down," Sai states. "This is no time to go into hysterics."

"Yeah, Gaara will find them before he gets hurt," Naruto assures.

"But he's just a little cub, he doesn't know how to defend himself let alone what he should be defending himself from," the silver haired Jounin whines.

"What are you talking about?"

"Temari?" a deep voice questions. "Was I expecting a toddler with my scroll?"

She turns to see Gaara, his sand wrapping around his torso to carry a slumbering three year old. Sasuke's little rounded ear twitches and his tail sways on a gentle breeze, his little teeth chewing on Gaara's robes as he sleeps.

"… S-Sasuke?" Kakashi questions quietly.

"Is that who this is?" Gaara asks. "Hm… I wondered why the damage seemed so familiar."

"What damage?" Sai muses.

"When I found them, the clearing was completely destroyed," Gaara informs. "There was fire all over the place, the water, for some reason, was frozen solid… and the two shinobi were torn apart. I found Sasuke tangled up in my scroll, using it for a blanket as he slept."

"Did he wake up?"

"Yes, I woke him before I picked him up. I'm always cautious when it comes to demons… no matter how young they appear. He looked at me and asked if I was… the sandman," Gaara sighs with a frown.

"That was totally Kakashi-sensei's fault," Naruto points.

"Daddy?" Sasuke mumbles.

"Sasuke-cub?"

"I found the sandman," he says sleepily. "He saved me."

"Sasuke, can you remember what happened?" Kakashi asks almost hesitantly.

"… I think so. The bad men hit me when I told them you would hurt them… then the big cats came," he says childishly. "They were angry and they hurt the bad men… but the white cat wouldn't let me watch. It wrapped me in the scroll so I couldn't see."

"Just as I thought," Kakashi sighs. "His elements are unstable and they've brought their war outside his body as well as inside."

*That's not true, * a whispery voice laughs. *We get along fabulously. *

*That's right, we're very happy with one another, * a more fiery voice remarks.

"Show yourselves!"

A bunch of snow gathers, turning into a snow leopard, and a black flame does the same to make a panther.

"Sasuke's elements," Kakashi frowns. "What are you doing roaming about?"

*He has more potential than one would think, * the snow leopard purrs. *We're here to teach him. *

"How is it you two aren't trying to kill one another?"

"I think it's rather obvious, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto chuckles. "It all has to do with one single fact that escapes your ever observant eyes."

"What's that?" Sakura questions.

"She's a _girl_ snow leopard," Naruto laughs.

"… She's a what?" Kakashi gawks.

*Guilty, * the snow leopard chuckles. *That's why your precious little cub is so feminine. The panther is male. Sasuke was originally supposed to be a female, but when his panther gene was activated it changed that. Panthers, unless the mother is mated with a human or weaker demon, are usually male. As the mother didn't count as human and Kakashi is obviously _not_ a weaker demon, Sasuke is a boy. *

"Do you have any idea how to get him back to normal?" Kakashi sighs in misery.

*No, but we know it isn't only the jutsu, * the panther remarks.

"What do you mean?" Sai asks.

*Sasuke is suffering from the scars that were suppressed by Itachi's personal memory jutsu he developed especially for Sasuke, erasing the majority of his childhood. Upon the seal's destruction, the memories were freed like water breaking through a dam. He couldn't handle the memories and hid himself within the shell of a child, * the snow leopard sighs.

*On the outside, Sasuke is unbreakable, * the panther remarks. *But on the inside, he's extremely vulnerable. He'll come back when he comes to terms with what happened back then, but until then he's trusting you to care for him. And we, of course, will be around whenever he's in need of us. *

"So… she's your _mate_?" Kakashi questions.

*… Yes. *

*Don't worry, we'll stress the importance of proper stress relief to little Sasuke, * the snow leopard grins toothily. *You won't have to worry about him taking his frustration out on his little blonde friend… Not violently, at least… Well… Not with his fists. *

"Please tell me she didn't mean what I think she meant," Naruto whispers.

"Well, I think we know where Sasuke got his devious mind," Sai grins.

"Great."

"I'll take him now, Gaara," Kakashi remarks.

"… Uh… Do you think maybe… I could…"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure."

Team seven walks the rest of the way to Sand with Temari and Gaara, Sasuke still sleeping in the sand wound around Gaara's torso while he chews on his Kazekage robes. Once they reach Sand, team seven is able to go their separate ways and enjoy a little rest. Gaara managed to convince Kakashi to let him babysit for Sasuke, though it practically took the rest of his team dragging him out of his office forcefully to get him to leave.

"Well, now that we're alone…"

Gaara looks over to the toddler watching him curiously, letting some of his sand cover the floor so he can play in it before going back to his paperwork. Sasuke is a pleasant child to have around, well behaved and quiet, so Gaara doesn't mind watching him… He prefers him to the older him, anyway. Suddenly, as he's reading one of his documents, he feels a hand tugging on his robe and he looks down into large onyx eyes.

"Hm?" he questions.

"Am I a bad boy?" Sasuke asks quietly.

"… Of course not, why would you think that?"

"Bad things happen to bad boys… right?"

"I guess."

"Then… why would something bad happen to me if I'm not a bad boy?"

"… What happened?" Gaara asks immediately.

"… Don't tell daddy, okay?" Sasuke whispers climbing up into Gaara's lap. "I remember being hurt… by someone that looks like my Aniki. He's my Aniki's daddy, but I didn't know then. He made me do stuff I didn't like because I was a bad boy. He said I did something really bad, but wouldn't tell me what. I just knew I had to do what he said, because he was bigger than me and I didn't know what was good for me."

"I think I know what he made you do," Gaara glares distantly. "Did you tell anyone?"

"Aniki found out and hurt them."

"Hurt them?"

"Everyone that hurt me," Sasuke says with a pout. "He was protecting me… and Konoha."

"Is that why you're hiding? Because you feel responsible?"

"… Yes. If I wasn't a bad boy, I wouldn't have been punished and Aniki wouldn't have hurt everyone."

"That's nonsense, Sasuke," Gaara states. "You did nothing wrong, it wasn't your fault. People like your Aniki's father are afraid of people like you and me, so they make up lies that they want to believe in order to hurt us and feel it's deserved. You did nothing wrong… he was the one that needed punished for being a bad boy."

"… Really?" Sasuke sniffles.

"Really. No one blames you and if they do… I'll take care of them, okay?" Gaara smirks with a whisper. "I can be very good at getting what I want."

Sasuke grins happily and hugs Gaara, catching him off guard and sending a feeling of warmth through him. He returns the hug, letting Sasuke fall asleep on his lap before going back to work. He doesn't pay attention to his sister walking into his office, but at the sound of her giggle he looks up to glare at her.

"I never thought I'd see you with a child, Gaara," Temari chuckles. "Kankuro would love this."

"If he finds out, I'm blaming you," Gaara frowns menacingly.

"And if the crack about you being the sandman should reach his ears?" she wonders.

"… I'll blame Naruto," the redhead nods in decision. "It's too like him to think that's too funny to pass up."

"So… Sasuke is Kakashi's kid and he's a little demon? I can't wait to tell everyone their precious Uchiha heir is actually a Hatake heir," Temari squeals in delight.

"Perhaps it's best we don't say anything until Kakashi's ready to… after all, it isn't our place to butt in."

"You're really attached to that brat, aren't you?" the blonde questions in worry. "Because, you know… he has to go home sometime. You can't keep him, Gaara."

"I know that," the redhead snaps. "I just… like him better like this… He's quiet."

Kakashi and his team arrive to pick up Sasuke a few hours later, the little cub freaking out when Kakashi snatches him off Gaara's lap like a cat going through catnip withdrawals. Naruto notices the sad look in his friend's eyes but says nothing, feeling at a crossroads… He's glad Sasuke's back with them, but he's sad for Gaara's loss.

"We should really be heading back," the Jounin sighs happily. "I don't want to keep Iruka waiting any longer than necessary… he's a mother hen and I don't want to be the cause of his eventual breakdown."

"Right," Gaara remarks quietly. "Tell Tsunade I said hello and that I'll be visiting not long from now."

"By, Uncle Gaara, I'll miss you," Sasuke waves cutely.

"… Good bye, Sasuke."

Gaara sees them to the gates, but no further. Kakashi almost seems upset about leaving Gaara alone, yet they know he'd never give up Sasuke… Not even for the most powerful of Kages. Sai plays with Sasuke while the others make camp, enjoying their time together and taking advantage of Sasuke's naiveté. He paints many pictures of Sasuke being cute to sell or use for blackmail purposes, earning a nice thump on the head from Kakashi and losing his subject to Sakura.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," she huffs. "Come on, Sasuke, I'll make you something to eat."

That night, Sasuke sleeps next to Kakashi. He clings for dear life to his father's side, suffering from nightmares that have plagued him for years. Kakashi lays awake, uncertain if he should wake his cub or let him be. Finally, he nudges Sasuke awake and the little cub cries into the silver haired Jounin's side.

"It's going to be okay, Sasuke-cub," Kakashi assures. "I'm here now and I'll never let anything happen to you."

Tsunade is waiting at the gates when they arrive at Konoha, an ecstatic look on her features. Kakashi can only guess that she's discovered the cure to Sasuke's problem… but that news doesn't make him as happy as it should. If Sasuke is his proud older self again, he'll never get to tuck him in again. He won't get to rock him anymore, or hold him after a nightmare. The raven haired snow leopard will be too proud to share a bed with him in order to feel safe, or play with him in the bath. Suddenly, Kakashi feels very empty inside.

"I figured it out!" Tsunade grins. "It was one hell of a problem, but I cracked it! Um… You should look happier, Kakashi. You won't be stuck with this brat anymore."

"But… I like being stuck with my brat," the silver haired Jounin admits. "He's cute and loving and everybody likes him. Not to mention he's easier to manage and too scared to run off."

"Okay, I must admit… That is a big reason to leave him as is," Naruto remarks. "But if we do that, who would I train with? And I wouldn't have anyone to fight with, or argue with. My best friend would be gone and I'd be left alone! Tsunade-hag, change him back, quick!"

"Don't panic, Naruto, she's going to change him back… Aren't you, Hokage?" Sakura asks with worry at Tsunade's contemplative features.

"… Hm? Oh! Of course," she says distractedly. "Then again, if we left him as is… he'd have a better chance at growing up a normal little boy."

*No! She better not! * Sasuke screams within his mind. *I've finally come to terms with what happened! I want to go back to the way things were! *

"Daddy, a voice is yelling in my head," Sasuke remarks in confusion. "It doesn't sound happy."

"That must be your older self… What is it saying?"

"It wants to come back."

"… Do you want to change back, Sasuke-cub?"

"… I don't know, I'm just an illusion created by a shinobi in order to feel safe," the little boy shrugs. "My emotions are their emotions… so… I guess I want to go back to being the way I was. I'm just upset that I'll have to leave all of you, but I guess… if you think about it… I'm not really leaving, I'm just growing up."

"…"

"Kakashi-sensei, are you crying?" Sakura frowns.

"… They just… grow up so fast," he sniffs.

Tsunade goes through the hand signs, changing Sasuke in a puff of smoke. Before the smoke clears, a hand shoots out and hits Naruto and a roundhouse kicks Sai. Sakura grins happily and squeals in delight.

"Oh, Sasuke, it's so good to have you back."

"Yeah, not having you around was so… painful," Naruto mutters with Sai nodding his agreement.

Kakashi goes to hug Sasuke, but stops halfway there and pulls away. Sasuke feels a soft pat on his head instead, the teen looking over to his father in question. Kakashi seems a little downtrodden, making Sasuke feel a little guilty. He grudgingly reaches over and hugs Kakashi quickly, still not certain he wants to show affection in public. He finally realizes that being with Kakashi is kind of nice, so he decides he doesn't want to let go yet.

"Well… as happy as I am for this to be over," Kakashi sighs happily, "I'm glad I got to have such adventures in parenting."


End file.
